AGAWAM – Where trucks rumble by and third-graders walk to school today, the farmers and shopkeepers of Feeding Hills once trained to defend their homes against an invading army.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Agawam dedicated a flagpole donated by the Asta-Ferrero family as well as other park improvements to the lawn at Granger School, to better showcase the history of the colonial-era militia.

Dressed in colonial military attire, Agawam resident Rob Keenan recalled the history of the Field of Parade, “where our forebears trained and drilled to protect their families and homes from the tyranny of an unresponsive government.”

He said militia training was a common experience for men and boys starting in 1630s Massachusetts, though the practice had become more of a social event by the 1770s. As a series of tax laws prompted colonial leaders to realize that their destiny was independence – and thus armed conflict with British authorities – the provincial congress advised towns to begin taking these citizen-soldier military exercises more seriously.

Although it’s the militias of eastern Massachusetts that became famous as “minutemen” – because of prominent Revolutionary War battles such as Bunker Hill, Concord and Lexington – the Feeding Hills militia would have played a key role in defending Western Massachusetts if the Battle of Bennington, in August 1777, had turned out differently. German troops hired by the British were defeated there by militia from New Hampshire, Vermont and Western Massachusetts. The Germans and British had planned to march south through Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, in an effort to cut off rebellious New England from the rest of the continent.

“Our men and boys would have been on the front line, here, trying to forestall invasion and occupation from troops already known to disregard the safety and well-being of civilians under their control,” Keenan said.

The flagpole stands next to an existing monument to the town’s Revolutionary War militia. Town officials hope the flagpole and new concrete walkways will draw more attention to the headstone-sized monument and the park’s military history.

“For the past five years, we’ve wanted to get a flagpole up here,” said Aldo Mancini of the Agawam Veterans Council.

A flagpole like this would have cost $3,000 to $7,000 if purchased new, said Mancini.

Once the Asta-Ferrero family had donated the pole, he said, several town departments collaborated to install it, as well as paving new walkways to provide better access to the flagpole and the stone marker commemorating the Feeding Hills militia. The Veterans Council, the Department of Public Works and the Building Maintenance Department all contributed to the project, while the Community Preservation Act Committee provided the funds to install benches at the park.

“It’s good to have departments and people that can get together to get things done,” Mancini said.

Asta-Ferrero family members from five generations, many of them veterans, were present for the dedication ceremony. The group included brothers who grew up in West Springfield – Fred, Patrick Sr. and Peter Asta-Ferrero – and who carried a photograph of their late brother Ron. Patrick Sr. is an Agawam resident and his son, Patrick Asta-Ferrero II, was the one who acquired the flagpole to donate. He said the flagpole is the undamaged section of a former Chicopee light pole that was removed after a vehicle hit it.

The park, at the corner of Springfield and South Westfield streets, is also the home of the Anne Sullivan Memorial, which honors the Feeding Hills native who became famous as the teacher of Helen Keller.

At the Veterans Day ceremony on Nov. 11, several speakers thanked Agawam teachers and schoolchildren for reaching out to veterans, thanking them for their service and showing interest in their stories. Mancini noted that the Doering School, in particular, has a close connection to veterans that began with the work of the late teacher and Marine veteran Gary Janulewicz. The middle school continues to involve veterans in its curriculum, including “Take a Vet to School Day,” though COVID-19 restrictions have forced this year’s observance to shift from the fall to the spring.

Sapelli, a former school superintendent, said all Agawam schools are “making sure that young people are aware of what Veterans Day is all about, and what makes it important.”

Christopher Lanski, the veterans services director for Agawam, said veterans are now only 10 percent of the country’s population, but their neighbors need to realize that they, like the colonial militia of old, are regular citizens who stepped up to serve their nation.

“Those men and women were ordinary people until they heard the call of duty and they answered it,” he said.

State Rep. Nicholas Boldyga, R-Southwick, said it’s important for all people to recognize the sacrifices made by veterans, and respect them for the work they have done to preserve America’s freedom. American servicemembers swear an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, he added – not an oath of personal loyalty to a king or a government.

He said he is proud that Massachusetts leads the nation in the state benefits and support network it provides to veterans.

Sapelli noted that the flagpole and paved walkways aren’t the only new items on the lawn, as the town recently installed a new gazebo to replace the one that had been damaged by a fallen tree.